Production of articles on straight bar knitting machines



June 5, 968 w. BENTLEY ETAL 3,38

PRODUCTION OF ARTICLES 0N STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12. 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 25, 1968 w. BENTLEY ETAL 3,389,580

PRODUCTION OF ARTICLES ON STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 25, 1968 w. BENTLEY ETAL 3,389,580

PRODUCTION OF ARTICLES ON STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 196

4 Sheets-Sheet 31 [ave/Jars MUM/2; /I A'y fmti 5hr)" June 25, 1968 w, BENTLEY ETAL 3,389,580

PRODUCTION OF ARTICLES ON STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 O C5 to O o ((322 P b H C q C E U FIG 7 p psaa [IE-L I E PB7- E; p 1 FIG 9 BES' E PHI 1 /PB fill/670 014" AW a United States Patent ABSTRACT (BE THE DISCLOSURE A pouch is formed in a fabric on a straight bar knitting machine by knitting a series of courses of increasing length followed by a series of courses of decreasing length, spaced from at least one similar series of increasing and decreasing courses by a plurality of courses which run the full width of the fabric.

This invention relates to improved production of articles on straight bar knitting machines and concerns irnprovcments in or modifications of our US. Patent No. 3,252,306 which claims the production on a straight bar knitting machine, of knitted articles having pouches, pockets or the like in which the operational steps are performed of feeding yarn to a body fabric number of needles, raising and lowering these needles for knitting thereon, effecting the needle beard pressing operations by pattern selection of adjacent groups of presser elements, holding selected spaced groups of the presser elements inoperative so that they retain their loops, reducing the yarn feed to the intermediate group of needles so that reduced width fabric is produced, again feeding the yarn to said body fabric number of needles, and re-operating the selected spaced groups of the presser elements for again knitting on said body fabric number of needles. In a particular arrangement of forming a pouch in the fabric, the production of the reduced width fabric is accompanied by progressively adding to the intermediate group of presser elements, at each end thereof, a number of the presses elements from the selected spaced groups thereof for widening followed by progressively returning these added presser elements for narrowing.

An object of the invention is to provide for the pouch being formed in a modified manner so as to have greater fullness.

The invention provides an improvement in or modification of the method claimed in said patent which consists in repeating the widening and narrowing operations, and between at least one widening operation and one narrowing operation re-operating the spaced groups of presser elements and increasing the thread carrier traverse for knitting a number of plain courses on said body fabric number of needles. The position along the courses at which the narrowing and widening operations are started may be caused to be constant, or varying progressively e.g. closer together followed by being progressively wider apart.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the methods hereinafter particularly described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial illustration of a swimsuit embodying pouches according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of pouch portions of the swimsuit.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic illustration of one of the pouches.

3,339,580 Patented June 25, 1968 FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of relevant parts of a Cottons patent straight bar knitting machine for making the swimsuit.

FIGURE 5 is a similar view to FIGURE 4 showing initial formation of pouches in the swimsuit.

FIGURE 6 is a similar view to FIGURES 4 and 5 showing the pouches having been formed in the swimsuit.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic layout of the swimsuit fabric in the region of the pouches.

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of thread carrier traverse in forming the pouches.

FIGURE 9 isa diagrammatic illustration of pattern bits used in forming the pouches.

Referring to FIGURE 1 the swimsuit 1 is representative of any knitted garment requiring to have one or more pouches formed in it, the two pouches in the swimsuit being indicated at P and P1.

Hereinafter for the sake of convenience reference will be particularly made to the pouch P although the drawings show the formation of the second pouch PI, it being understood that the method to be described for forming the pouch P is identical for forming the pouch P1.

The pouch P consists of a central non-fashioned area A and side areas B and C which are shaped by a series of fashioning operations forming, FIGURE 2;, lines of fashioning marks D1 to D6 at one side and D7 to D12 at the other side.

As shown in IGURE 3 each successive pair of fashion ing marks is separated by a group of knitted courses, shown by lines, in which there is no fashioning, the fashioning courses being shown at F1 to Fit) and the intervcn ng non-fashioning courses being shown at C1 to C5.

The non-fashioning courses C1 to C5 extend from one side of the pouch between the successive fashioning marks D1 to D6 at one side of the pouch, through the central area A of the pouch, and between the successive fashioning marks D7 to DIZ at the other side of the pouch.

Because of providing the non-fashioned courses between each pair of successive fashioning lines, the pouch is formed with a desired high degree of fullness.

It is to be understood that although six lines of fashioning marks are illustrated, there may be any suitable number thereof such for example as 4, 5, 7, 8 and so on.

It is to be also understood that although the six fashioning lines shown at each side of the pouch are equidistant this can be varied to suit requirements.

Furthermore the fashioning lines are shown as all starting in the same wale and being of progressively increased length from the top and bottom of the pouch to the middle portion of the pouch. This may be varied to suit requirements, for example the starting of the different fashioning lines may be in different wales, and the lengths may be such that the pattern of the fashioning lines is symmetrical or non-symmetrical according to requirements.

The swimsuit is produced on a Cottons patent straight bar knitting machine with the fashioning of the pouches being effected by the means disclosed in the aforesaid Patent No. 3,252,306 to which reference i directed for full details.

Briefly, the Cottons patent straight bar knitting machine is represented in FIGURES 4 to 6 by a needle bar NB having a row of bearded needles N, and by thread carriers TC, TCI on carrier bars CB, CB1 which are under adjustment control of the usual selvedge stops S1 to S4 on adjustable lead screws LS, LS1. The thread carriers are traversed by the usual slur bar SE of the machines draw mechanism and friction box PB, and the thread carriers have stop lugs L1 to L4 co-operating with the selvedge stops S1 to S4.

There is also provided a row of sliders I disposed between the machines sinkers and slidably operable to have individual presser operation on the beards of the needles N, the sliders being under control of a pattern drum 2 for pattern selection of the sliders 1 so that the needles are selected thereby to knit or not to knit in selected manner.

The pattern drum 2 is set out with a full complement of pattern bits PB to provide for body fabric BF being made, FIGURE 4, with a body fabric number of the needles N having yarn fed to them by the thread carrier cooperating with the selvedge stops suitably adjusted, and having their beards closed by their associated sliders 1.

Knitting of the body fabric BF continues, with the pattern drum 2 stationary, until it is required for the pouch to be made.

At this stage, FIGURE 5, the pattern drum 2 is racked on by racking means 4 to present a wide pattern bit FBI to a wide group WG of the sliders 1 so that only this group of sliders is advanced and consequently only the Wide group of needles WNG form knitted fabric, the remaining sliders being inoperative so that their associated needles are inoperative but holding on to their loops.

The selvedge stops S1, S2 are adjusted inwardly to limit the traverse of the thread carrier to the number of needles in the group WNG and a course of fabric is produced represented at a-a in FIGURE 7. For the next course the pattern drum 2 is again racked on to present a shorter pattern bit PB2 to its associated smaller group of sliders I, and the selvedge stops are adjusted inwardly so that a corresponding smaller group of needles only is operative for the next course, and this sequence is re peated so as to narrow the pouch fabric until the position bb is reached, FIGURE 7, the thread carrier traverse having been progressively reduced from the traverse indicated at T in FIGURE 8 to the traverse indicated at T1, and the pattern bits that are employed being indicated at PB1 to PB7 FIGURE 9. For the next few courses until the position cc' is reached, FIGURE 7, the pattern drum is progressively racked in the reverse direction by the racking means 4a, and the selvedge stops are progressively adjusted outwardly so that the carrier traverse increases from the position T1 in FIGURE 8 to the position T2, during which the pattern bits FBI to PB7 have been employed in reverse so that the pouch fabric is widened from the position bb' to -0. This complete narrowing and widening operation produces the fashioning lines D1 and D7 FIGURE 2.

For the next few courses the pattern drum 2 is racked to again present the full length pattern bit PB FIGURE 4 to the sliders and the selvedge stops are appropriately adjusted so that all the needles knit to produce a short length of plain courses of the body fabric indicated at C1 in FIGURES 3 and 7.

Next a second complete narrowing and widening operation is effected substantially as before except that the pattern drum is racked further on so that the pattern bits FBI to P1313 are effective progressively in one direction until the position d-d' is reached, the thread carrier traverse having been also progressively reduced to suit, so that the width of the pouch fabric at this stage i reduced to that shown at the position d-d' which is slightly less width than that at b-b'. Following this the operations are again reversed so that widening takes place from the position dd' to ee'.

At this stage the pattern drum is gain racked to present the full length pattern bit PB to the sliders and the selvedge stops are again appropriately adjusted so that a number of courses indicated at C2 in FIGURES 3 and 7 are produced without fashioning.

The complete narrowing and widening operation 0, d, e, c, d, e forms the fashioning lines D2, D8 FIGURE 2.

The complete fashioning operations, of which tWo have been described, are repeated for the further four times required as indicated at f, g, It and 1', each time racking pattern drum 2 and adjusting the selvedge stops so as to reduce the width of the pouch fabric from zl to fur- 4 ther reduce it from f to g, then to increase it from g to h, and to further increase it from h to i, the effect of this being to produce the fashioning lines D3 to 6 and D9 to 12, FIGURE 2.

Between each pair of these successive fashionings f to i, the pattern drum 2 is racked to re-introduce the full length pattern bit PB and the selvedge stops appropriately adjusted thereby to produce the body fabric as required and as indicated at C3 to C5. I

It will be understood that although in FIGURE 7 spaces are shown between the short lengths of body fabric C1 to C5, in the actual fabric the opposed edges are integrally joined in the fabric since each time a complete fashioning operation takes place on the pouch group of needles, the remaining needles hold their loops until reintroduced for starting the next short piece of body fabric.

It will be understood that the formation of the short lengths of body fabric between each pair of consecutive complete fashionings imparts to the pouch the desired extra fullness.

It will be further understood that the lengths, the starting and finishing points, the disposition, and the number of the complete fashionings can be varied to suit requirements merely by corresponding variation in the pattern control of the sliders and of the adjustments of the selvedge stops, the latter adjustments being effected by the usual ratchet mechanism under control of the usual patterning means set out with pattern elements suitable for the required adjustments.

It will further be understood from the particular description how the operations particularly described are applicable to the formation of one or more other pouches at any required position or positions in a garment, it being only necessary to provide the necessary pattern bits on the pattern drum and to rack this at required times in co-operation with adjustment of the selvedge stops at required times. In a particular modification of the arrangement of the fashioning lines, the patterning control may be such that the positions at which the complete fashionings start, may be variable along the courses, that is to say the positions at which the second complete fashionings are effected may be wider apart than those at which the first complete fashionings start, the positions at which the third complete fashionings start may be Wider apart than the second, the positions at which the fourth complete fashionings start may be closer together than those of the third, and the positions at which the fifth complete fashionings start may be still closer together; this avoids the abrupt line effect at each outer edge of the pouch. In yet another particular modification the complete fashionings may be more frequent at one or more locations than at one or more other locations, and the number of courses in the body fabric between successive complete fashionings may be variable, in a manner to provide different degrees of fullness at different parts of the pouch.

It is further to be understood that whereas in the particularly described arrangement the first complete fashioning starts with a narrowing followed by a widening, the narrowing may be disposed with, and similarly instead of the last fashioning starting with a narrowing and finishing with a widening may be dispensed with.

What we claim is:

1. A method of forming a knitted garment having at least one pouch, which comprises knitting a series of plain courses on a straight bar knitting machine to form body fabric from the bottom to the start of the pouch, then knitting in succession a plurality of fashioned sections each including a group of partial courses of gradually decreasing length and a group of partial courses of gradually increasing length, and knitting between each pair of successive of said fashioned sections a plurality of plain courses to enlarge the pouch and graduate its connection to the body fabric.

2. A method of forming a knitted garment having at least one pouch, which comprises knitting a series of plain courses on a straight bar knitting machine to form body fabric from the bottom to the start of the pouch, then knitting in succession a plurality of fashioned sections each including a group of partial courses of gradually decreasing length, first to progressively greater extents from each of said fashioned sections to the next of a first group of said fashioned sections and then to progressively less extents from each of said fashioned sections to the next of a second group of said fashioned sections, and a group of partial courses of gradually increasing length, and knitting between each pair of successive of said fashioned sections a plurality of plain courses to enlarge the pouch and graduate its connection to said body part.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, including the further operation, after knitting the last partial course for the pouch, of knitting a further series of plain courses to form further body fabric.

4. A method of forming a knitted garment having at least one pouch on a straight bar knitting machine having a thread carrier, by producing a length of body fabric, then carrying out the operations of rendering a pouchforming group of needles only operative while the remainder are inoperate, reducing the thread carrier traverse to co-operate only with the operative group of needles, shaping the pouch by forming a group of fashioned courses, producing a group of plain courses forming a short length of the body fabric, and repeating said operations for a number of times required until the pouch is fully formed, and then continuing to produce further body fabric.

5. A method of forming a pouch in knitted fabric on a straight bar knitting machine having a thread carrier which consists, following knitting of a complete course of body fabric, carrying out a cycle of operations of pattern-operating beard-pressing sliders to render only a pouch forming group of needles operative to knit, reducing the thread carrier traverse to co-operate only with the pouch-forming group of needles, while remaining needles are inoperative holding their loops, stepping on the pattern device and reducing the thread carrier traverse to progressively narrow the pouch fabric and then, accompanied by increasing the thread carrier traverse, to progressively widen the pouch fabric, thereupon racking the pattern device to re-introduce all the needles and increasing the thread carrier traverse for knitting body fabric on these needles for a few courses, and repeating said cycle of operations until the fabric of suflicient length for the pouch is formed.

6. A method of forming a knitted garment having at least one pouch, which comprises knitting a series of plain courses on a straight bar knitting machine to form body fabric from the bottom of the start of the pouch, then carrying out a plurality of group operations in succession in which a first group of operations consists of knitting a group of partial courses of gradually decreasing length and a group of partial courses of gradually increasing length, a second group of operations consists of knitting a group of partial courses of a length decreasing gradually to greater extent than for said first group of operations and knitting a group of partial sources of gradually increasing length, a third group of operations consists of knitting a group of partial courses of a length decreasing gradually to greater extent than for said second group of operations and knitting a group of partial courses of gradually increasing length, fourth, fifth and sixth groups of operations consist of substantially the same operations as said first, second, and third groups of operations respectively except that said decreasing of the length of the partial courses is to progressively less extents, knitting between each pair of successive of said group operations a plurality of plain courses and after knitting the last partial course knitting a further series of plain courses forming further body fabric.

7. A method of forming a swimsuit having breast pouches, which comprises knitting a series of plain courses on a straight bar knitting machine to form body fabric from the bottom to the start of the breast pouches, then knitting in succession at each location for a breast pouch a plurality of fashioned sections each including a group of partial courses of gradually decreasing length and a group of partial courses of gradually increasing length, and knitting between each pair of successive fashioned sections a plurality of plain courses which extend through both breast pouches to enlarge them and graduate their connections to the body fabric.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,120,035 6/1938 Newberger 66--177 X 2,222,946 11/1940 Hall 66177 2,969,662 1/1961 Gordon 66-89 3,103,111 9/1963 Rinehart 66-176 3,252,306 5/1966 Bentley et al 66-89 3,283,545 11/1966 Simon 66-189 X 3,292,395 12/1966 Bentley et al 66--89 X FOREIGN PATENTS 620,322 11/1962 Belgium.

714,785 8/1965 Canada. 1,303,055 7/1962 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Hosiery Trade Journal, vol. 71, November 1964, pp. 104-110.

W. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner. 

